Train of highway trailers and method of making

ABSTRACT

Novel highway trailers can be mounted on railtruck assemblies to form a train of highway trailers, the railtruck assemblies including a conventional railtruck which supports a novel intermodal adaptor. The novel highway trailers include a forwardly extending tongue and coupling structure at the rear to which may be secured the tongue of a following trailer and the intermodal adaptor of a railtruck assembly. The intermodal adaptor is mounted on the center plate bowl of the bolster of the railtruck. The adaptor includes a locating assembly adapted to be received within the coupling structure of a leading highway trailer, which locating assembly permits the leading highway trailer and intermodal adaptor to become aligned with each other upon relative movement. The intermodal adaptor further includes a securing assembly capable of maintaining the locating assembly within the coupling structure of the highway trailer in a completely mounted position, a coupler pin, and a shifting device capable of moving the coupler pin from a lower position to a raised position where it couples the forward end of a tongue of a following trailer to the rear of the leading trailer and the intermodal adaptor.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 740,650 filed June 3, 1985, now U.S. Pat. No.4,669,391, which is in turn a continuation-in-part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 469,215 filed Feb. 24, 1983, now abandoned. A relatedapplication is U.S. application Ser. No. 542,264 filed Oct. 17, 1983.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a practical design of a train ofhighway trailers which are formed of novel highway trailers andrailtruck assemblies and which permit flexible operations. In addition,this invention relates to a highway trailer or trailer chassis forrailway and highway use which reduces the weight to be carried andtherefore reduces the energy required for rail use. More specifically,this invention utilizes highway trailers which are modified to becarried over a rail track by a railtruck assembly which includes anintermodal adapter and a standard freight car railtruck. This designeliminates the need for a flat car in the intermodal rail mode therebysubstantially reducing the dead load weight of the train thus reducingthe energy required in the rail mode. In the highway mode, the traileris not encumbered by excess structural weight and therefore is capableof carrying a load nearly equal to that of a standard piggyback trailer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In piggyback trains, the cross-country travel is by rail and localdelivery is by truck. This effects savings of energy and labor. However,the dead weight of the piggyback flat cars makes up a large portion ofthe total railway load. It has previously been proposed to provide novelhighway trailers which can be supported upon a track without the use ofa piggyback flat car. One such example is shown in U.S. Pat. No.4,202,454 issued 13 May, 1980. In this design, the highway trailer isprovided with a plurality of wheel assemblies and is additionallyprovided with rail wheels which can be moved from a raised highwayposition to a lowered rail position. In addition to carrying the railwheels and their associated axle, the highway trailer disclosed in thispatent also has its weight increased by adding rail air reservoirs, railair brake valving, rail brake shoes, rail brake beams, rail coupleractuating mechanisms, rail fixed pin coupler and rail tongue supportsystems, all of the various items being an integral part of the highwaytrailer. This additional mechanism to the highway trailer weightsignificantly increases its initial cost and also adds to themaintenance cost, and in effect, creates a vehicle that must bededicated to rail service or for use near the rail thereby limiting itsflexibility to be used as a general highway service vehicle. Inaddition, all of the above equipment which is added to the highwaytrailer significantly decreases its load carrying capability. Inaddition, the use of a single rail axle for each trailer restricts therail use as it is customarily railroad practice and/or policy to limitfreight loads to 30,000 pounds per wheel and thus the gross vehicleweight may not exceed 60,000 pounds.

Another prior art design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,963,986 issued 13Dec., 1960. In this design, a specially designed, non-standard railtruckis provided having a special adapter structure. A portion of the adapterstructure can be telescoped into the rear end of a leading trailer andthe fifth wheel king pin of a trailing trailer is also carried by theadapter on the railtruck. This design has failed to achieve commercialacceptance.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to utilize standard commerciallyavailable four-wheel railway trucks having a standard air brake system,the trucks being adapted to be connected to novel trailers via a uniqueadapter structure. This adapter structure attaches to and swivels on therailtruck bolster in the same way that a rail car would normally attachto and swivel on the truck bolster. In one form of the invention, theadapter structure is provided with two transversely spaced apartlocating members or forks which are horizontally oriented and fit into apair of transversely spaced apart sockets beneath and parallel to therear sill of the leading trailer frame. The adapter structure also haslatches which engage a latch receiving portion which may be in the formof a latch bar transverse to the rear of the trailer frame. In addition,the rear of the leading trailer is further provided with receiving meansinto which the forwardly extending tongue of a trailing trailer mayenter and be coupled by means of a generally vertically extendingshiftable coupler pin. The tonge and coupler pin allow the trailers whenformed into a train to rock from side to side and fore and aft withrespect to each other. The adapter frame may also be provided withanti-side sway bumpers to limit sway of both the leading and followingtrailer.

By utilizing the above design features, piggyback flat cars may beeliminated and the novel highway trailers of this invention become anactive part of the trains, thereby decreasing the weight to betransported by rail and still further increasing the saving of combinedrailway highway service. When the trailers are connected end-to-end toform a train, they are pulled by a locomotive and the adjacent ends ofthe trailers in the train are supported by a railtruck assembly, thefront end of one trailer and the rear end of an adjacent trailer beingsupported by a single four wheel railtruck and adapter.

To make up such a train, a trailer is backed onto an adapter unit on therailtruck. The attachment of the front end of the trailer is thenaffected by backing the first trailer until a tongue in the secondtrailer enters a socket or first receiving means in the rear of thefirst trailer where it is then secured by a coupler pin. Upon reachingits destination, the trailer is driven off its railway truck, and localdelivery is made by pulling the trailer with a conventional highwaytractor over the highway. The trailers are essentially standard highwaytrailers except for the modifications required for railway coupling.These modifications do not interfere with the highway use and do notappreciably add to the total weight of the highway trailer.

The foregoing features will become more apparent from a consideration ofthe following detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which various forms of this invention areillustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagramatic view of a railway train consisting of alocomotive and a plurality of highway trailers.

FIG. 2 illustrates a procedure for making up a train of highwaytrailers.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the back end of a leadingtrailer, the front end of a following trailer, and a railtruck assemblysupporting the foregoing.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the railtruck assembly in position to becoupled to the back end of the leading highway trailer.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section along the center line of a leading and afollowing highway trailer coupled together.

FIG. 6 is a transverse section through the rear sill of the coupling ofthe leading trailer of FIG. 5.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are a fragmentary side elevation of a second embodimentshowing the back end of a leading trailer. In FIGS. 7A and 7B, the frontend of a following trailer in FIG. 7B and the railtruck assembly forsupporting the foregoing.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the railtruck assembly of FIGS. 7A and 7Bis position to be coupled to the back end of a leading trailer and apartial front view of a following trailer.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary section along the centerline of a leading and afollowing trailer and the associated railtruck assembly when thetrailers are coupled together.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the railtruck assembly and of the couplingmembers on the highway trailers (shown in phantom).

FIG. 11 is a rear view of the leading trailer illustrated in FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a third embodiment of an adapter for arailtruck, parts being broken away, this view also illustrating aportion of a highway trailer in phantom.

FIG. 13 is a section taken generally along the line 13--13 in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a section taken generally along the line 14--14 in FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a section taken generally along the line 15--15 in FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In General

In the three embodiments disclosed in the drawings and discussed indetail below, novel highway trailers are disclosed which can be coupledto each other by railtruck assemblies for transport over rail trackswithout the use of flat bed rail cars or without the use of rail wheelscarried by the highway trailers. In addition, a novel method ofassembling the highway trailers and railtruck assemblies into a train ofhighway trailers is also disclosed. In all of the various designsillustrated, more or less conventional highway trailers having modifiedfront and rear ends are adapted to be supported on a novel intermodaladapter which is in turn supported on a generally conventionalrailtruck, the adapter and railtruck forming a railtruck assembly. Ineach of the various designs, the rear end of the leading trailer issupported generally over the center line of the bolster of theassociated railtruck, and similarly, the leading end of the followingtrailer is also supported over the center line of the bolster. Theforegoing will be more fully understood from a consideration of thefollowing description of the three illustrated embodiments.

First Embodiment

The highway trailers of this embodiment are indicated generally at 10and are intended to be used in a unit part of a train which will includea locomotive 12 and a plurality of trailers connected end to end. Whenso connected, the road wheels 14 of each trailer are supported above thetracks or rails 16. The trailers are designed for use in a unit trainwhere all of the trailers have a similar chassis and coupling structure.The body styles of the highway trailers may differ in accordance withshipping requirements. The lead trailer in the train has at its frontend a load carrying tongue 18 fixed to a special railway coupler 20which is in turn connected to the locomotive coupler 22.

The trailers in the train are standard highway trailers, with theexception of their front and trailing ends, which are carried byadapters on standard type railtrucks equipped with standard railway typeair brakes. The modifications to the highway trailers permit combinedhighway and railway use. At the front of each trailer, the onlymodification necessary is the addition of a tongue 24 which is securedto the trailer in a load carrying relationship. In practice the leadingtrailer as well as all following trailers will have the same tonguedesign.

When a trailer is transported over a highway, the front end is carriedby a fifth wheel pin 26 which is removably locked to the fifth wheelplate of the usual truck tractor. When used in a railway train, thegravity load of the front end of the trailer and the braking (buff) anddraft thrusts are all taken through the tongue 24 which is rigidly fixedto the front end of the trailer frame. At the back end of the trailerframe, it may be necessary to mount the road wheels 14 on a sub-frame 28for adjustable fore-and-aft positioning. The purpose of the sub-frame 28and the adjustable mounting for the road wheels is to permit compliancewith local laws relating to highway use and/or to allow sufficient spacefor adaptation to the railway mode. The particular road wheels shown aresupported by an air suspension 30 such as manufactured by Fruehauf,Neway or Granning so that upon release of the air pressure, the wheelsare automatically retracted well above the rails sufficient to meet orexceed normal railroad rail clearance requirements. The lifting meansfor the road wheels in the suspension is not activated until the backend of the trailer is positioned on an intermodal adapter so that theload is carried by a standard four wheel railway truck 32, for example,Dresser model DR-1; Barber stabilized truck mod. S-2-C, or theequivalent.

The coupling between the truck 32 and the back end of the leadingtrailer is through an intermodal adapter or adapter frame 34 which isrotatably supported on the centerplate bowl of the bolster 36 by thecenterplate (thrust bearing) 38 of the adapter frame. The adapter frame34, as shown in FIG. 4, has load carrying locating members or forks 40which extend through coupling sockets or second receiving means 42 inthe rear sill 44 of a leading trailer. The adapter frame also has latchmembers 46 which extend through openings 48 in structure below the rearsill 44. As used in this specification the sill includes the reartransverse trailer frame member and the socket structure which receivesthe following trailer tongue. When the forks 40 are fully received inthe sockets 42, the adapter frame is solidly latched against the rearsill of the lead trailer by the cooperation of the forward ends 50 ofthe latch members 46 with a latch bar 52.

The gravity load of the back end of the leading trailer is carried bythe forks 40 and is transferred by the forks to the centerplate 38. Theadapter frame also has sway pads 54 for limiting side sway of thefollowing trailer. A handle 55 and linkage mechanism 56 are provided formanually pivoting the latch members 46 clear of the latch bar 52,thereby releasing the latches from holding the adapter frame against therear sill of the back end of the leading trailer. A spring 57 causes thelatches to engage the latch bar when the leading trailer is assembledonto the adapter. In the rear sill 44 there is also a first receiving orsocket portion 58 which is adpated to receive the tongue 24 of thefollowing trailer. Spaced below the socket 58 is a king pin or couplerpin 60 which may be held in either a lowered position or a raisedposition. The pin 60 is normally biased to its raised position by spring66, but may be moved to its lowered position by linkage 62 and handle63. When the tongue is fully received within the socket, the axis of aself aligning bearing 64 in the tongue lines up with the axis of thecoupler pin 60 so that upon release of the linkage 62, which has beenholding the coupler pin down, the king pin is urged upwardly by a spring66 into position in the self aligning bearing 64 and positively couplesthe tongue 24 of the following trailer to the rear end of the leadingtrailer. In this connection, it should be noted that the socket hasspaced apart vertically aligned apertures which receive the coupler pinso that when the trailers are assembled to each other, the coupler pinis only in shear. The socket 58 has enough clearance to allow pivotingand rocking of the tongue 24 relative to the socket.

The center line of the king pin or coupler pin 60 and the axis of thecenterplate 38 lie on the same vertical axis. Thus, the entire gravityload of the back end of the leading trailer and of the front end of thefollowing trailer is transmitted from the rear sill 44 through the forks40 and adapter frame 34 to the centerplate 38 and then to the bolster 36of the railtruck 32.

Making up a train is illustrated in FIG. 2. (1) A highway trailer 10 isbrought to the makeup site by a truck tractor (not shown), the trailerbeing positioned on a loading pad 68 in alignment with the rails ofloading track 70. (2) A railtruck assembly (railtruck 32 and adapter 34)is brought from a spur track 72 into a loading position on the rails ofthe loading track 70 directly behind the previously mentioned highwaytrailer. (3) The first mentioned trailer is then backed toward therailway truck assembly until the forks 40 on the railtruck assembly arereceived within sockets 42 on the trailer. The latches 46 are latchedover the latch bar 52 on the trailer when the fully assembled positionis attained and thus the back of the trailer is securely latched to therailtruck assembly. The air is then released from the trailer suspension30 and the trailer road wheels are lifted above the track 70. Theleading highway trailer 10 and assembled railtruck assembly are nowbacked as a unit into a following trailer having its front end supportedby its retractable landing gear, the tongue 24 of the following trailerbeing received in socket 58 in the leading trailer and the king pin orcoupler pin then being raised to complete the coupling of the back endof the leading trailer to the front end of the following trailer and tothe railtruck assembly. Upon retracting of the landing gear for thefollowing trailer and connecting the air brake lines to the brakes forthe truck, the trailers are ready for railway use. A complete train maybe made up by adding trailers one by one as described, and individualtrailers may be removed one at a time by the reverse procedure. Otherprocedures may also be followed for making up or disassembling a train.For example, a winch 74 may be utilized to bring the railtruck assemblyto the trailer rather than by bringing the trailer to the railtruckassembly.

This invention provides a unique vehicle requiring minimal modificationsof conventional highway semi-trailers and utilizing commerciallyavailable components, including a two-axle railtruck of proven type andan air suspension system for the trailer. The unique adapter assemblyallows coupling to the semi-traler and prevents swaying of the trailersin railway operation over rough track, around curves, and the like. Thetruck trailers, when used for highway operation, are not burdened withextra weight which would cause them to pay a penalty in energyconsumption or load carrying ability, and yet they are quickly andeasily adaptable to railway operation. The support of the trailersduring railroad operation is substantially the same as the support offreight cars on conventional railtrucks.

Second Embodiment

Referring now to FIGS. 7-11, a second embodiment of this invention isillustrated. This embodiment, like the first embodiment, consists of aplurality of highway trailers, indicated generally at 200, and aplurality of railtruck assemblies, indicated generally at 202, which canbe assembled into a train of highway trailers. When so assembled, theleading trailer may be connected to a locomotive, or to a freight cardrawn by a locomotive. With reference to FIG. 9, it can be seen that therear end portion of leading trailer 204 is supported on a railtruckassembly 202, and the tongue 206 of a trailing or following trailer 208is supported on the same railtruck. A second following trailer will beconnected to the first following trailer in the same manner, and so on.The final following trailer of the train of trailers will have its rearend supported by another railtruck assembly 202.

The trailers are designed for standard highway use as well as for use asa train of highway vehicles when in the rail mode. Each trailer includesone or more highway wheel assemblies, indicated generally at 210, eachhighway wheel assembly consisting of an axle 212 and road wheels 214.The highway wheel assemblies, two being shown in FIG. 7A, are in turnconnected to the main frame 216 of the trailer by a sub frame 218 andwheel support means, indicated generally at 220, each of the wheelsupport means including brackets 222 fixed to a portion of the subframewhich can be moved in a fore-and-aft direction, pivoted beams 224, andan air suspension 226. The particular road wheels shown are supported byan air suspension 226 such as that manufactured by Fruehauf, Neway orGranning so that upon application of air pressure to a lifting cylinderand release of air pressure from the load-carrying air springs, thewheels are retracted well above the rails sufficiently to meet or exceednormal railroad rail clearance requirements, and are locked in theraised position by a mechanical lock to prevent accidental loweringwhile in the rail mode. The lifting means for road wheels in thesuspension is normally not activated until the back end of the traileris positioned on a railtruck assembly, and when activated the roadwheels of each trailer are supported above track rails 228. However, theair spring lifting mechanism also has a provision for raising thetrailer body above normal floor height to facilitate its assembly to arailtruck assembly under conditions of uneven pavement.

The sub-frame 218 is utilized as it may be necessary to reposition theroad wheels 214 longitudinally with respect to the main frame 216 of theassociated trailer to have a position which will prevent interferencebetween the railtruck wheels and the highway wheels. Another purpose ofthe sub-frame 218 is to permit compliance with local laws relating tohighway use.

The highway trailer suspension is to a large part conventional and thuseach highway trailer can be readily adapted to highway use. To this endeach trailer is provided with a fifth wheel king pin 230 which can beremovably locked to the fifth wheel plate of a conventional trucktractor.

As previously noted, each trailer is provided with a tongue 206, therear portion of which is secured to the main frame of the trailer in aload carrying relationship. The forward end of the tongue is providedwith an hour-glass shaped aperture 232. The provision of a tongue 206and the necessary structural reinforcements for the tongue stresses isthe only major modification necessary to the front end of a more or lessconventional highway trailer. When the trailers are assembled into atrain of highway trailers the gravity load of the front end of thetrailer and the braking (buff) and draft forces are all taken throughthe tongue.

In order to utilize the highway trailers in a train it is also necessaryto modify the rear end of each trailer. Thus, the rear end of eachtrailer is provided with first and second receiving means, indicatedgenerally at 234 and 236, respectively. The first receiving means 234 iscapable of receiving the forward apertured end portion of the tongue ofa following trailer. The second receiving means is disposed below thefirst receiving means and is separated from the first receiving means bysill 238 which is capable of supporting the rear end of its trailer aswell as the front end of the following trailer. In addition, the rearend of the trailer is also provided with a latch receiving portion 239.The details of the first and second receiving means, as well as thelatch receiving portion, will be brought out below.

Each railtruck assembly consists of two principal sub-assemblies, thefirst sub-assembly being a conventional railtruck, indicated generallyat 240, and the second sub-assembly being a novel intermodal adapter,indicated generally at 242. As is conventional, each railtruck 240includes a pair of side frames 244 supported on a pair of axles 246 bybearing assemblies 248. The axles in turn carry rail wheels 250. Atransversely extending bolster 252 is supported on the side frames 244for rocking movement by springs 254, the bolster in turn having acenterplate bowl defined by a circular rim 256. The centerplate bowl isin turn provided with a vertically extending aperture 258 concentricwith the rim 256. Each railtruck is provided with a shoe-type "Unipac"truck-mounted brake system as manufactured by Buffalo Brake Beam Co.,Lackawanna, N.Y., U.S., or the equivalent. In addition, an air brakeoperating system is also provided. The upper surface of the bolster isprovided with transversely spaced apart upwardly facing elastomericconstant contact side bearings 260 such as those manufactured by A.Stucki Co. These side bearings are always in contact with transverselyspaced apart lower surfaces of the adapter 242 and serve to limithunting and flange-climbing of the railtruck as it travels on the rails.

The coupling between the railtruck 240 and the back of the leadingtrailer is through the intermodal adapter 242 which is rotatablysupported on the railtruck bolster 252 by its centerplate 262 (whichacts as a thrust bearing) and centerplate pin 264. The adapterstructure, shown in FIG. 8 has forwardly extending locating means in theform of transversely spaced apart locating members or forks 266 whichare adapted to extend into the second receiving means below the reartrailer sill 238. These forks, and the second receiving means are shapedwith a generous taper to effect the "gathering" of the forks into thesecond receiving means. As can be seen each of the forks 266 hassidewalls 268 which taper or converge in the forward direction. Inaddition, each fork has a top surface 270 which is inclined forwardlyand downwardly and which may act as a ramp surface when contacted by thelower rear edge of the sill 238 when making up a train. The secondreceiving means 236 which receives the locating means 266 also hassidewalls 272 which have a corresponding taper. The center sidewalls 272form the latch receiving portion or nose piece 239 which is snuglyreceived between the forks 266 when fully assembled, and which also actsas a centering locator. The adapter structure 242 also has ahorizontally disposed latch pin or bar 274 which passes through anopening 276 in the latch receiving portion. When the forks 266 are fullyreceived in the second receiving means, the adapter structure is solidlylatched against the rear sill 238 by the operation of latch pin 274through the opening 276.

The adapter 242 is provided with support means in the form of anupwardly facing load carrying surface 278 generally concentric with thepins 264 and 288, there being a pair of transversely spaced apart stops280 to the rear of surface 278. When the parts are fully assembled, thestops are contacted by the rear facing surface of the sill 238 and thetrailer sill of the leading trailer is supported on the surface 278,which may be in the form of a removable wearplate, the load beingtransferred by the adapter structure to the bolster.

The latch pin or bar 274 is provided with a tapered leading end and isinternally threaded. A threaded shaft 282 is journaled within the frameof the adapter and rotation of the shaft will cause the pin to be eitherextended or retracted. Latch indicator means in the form of a rod 284 issecured to the pin 274 and serves to indicate whether the pin is in itslatching position.

When the tongue 206 is fully receiving within the first receiving means,it rests upon an apertured elastomeric pad fastened to the inner lowersurface of the sill 238. This elastomeric pad is in the form of asandwich consisting of a lower metal plate which is fastened to saidinner lower surface and an upper metal plate upon which tongue 206 restswhen it is within the first receiving means. Between these metal platesand bonded to them is a resilient elastomeric material which will allowthe tongue of the following trailer to rock and sway relative to theleading trailer while the train is traveling along rough or uneventrackage.

When the adapter locating members 266 of the intermodal adapter arefully received and latched into the second receiving means 236 of theleading trailer 204 and tongue 206 of the following trailer 208 is fullyreceived in the first receiving means 234 of the leading trailer, acoupler pin 288 carried by the adapter for vertical movement is raisedthrough aperture 290 in sill 238, through the aperture in elastomericpad 286, and finally through the aperture 292 in the upper wall 294 ofthe first receiving means. Coupling pin 288 is raised from within theadapter structure by a screw 296. The screw 296 is caused to be rotatedby a gearbox 298 which is operated by drive shaft 300. By reversing thepower to the drive shaft, the pin may be lowered for uncoupling. Thecenterline of coupler pin 288 and the axis of the centerplate pin areconcentric. Thus, the entire gravity load of the rear of the leadingtrailer and of the front of the following trailer is transmitted fromthe rear sill 238 through the adapter 242 to the bolster 252 ofrailtruck 240 in substantially the same conventional manner as theweight of a freight car is supported by its railtrucks.

The train of this embodiment is made up in the same manner as the trainof the first embodiment. While only one body style of trailer has beenillustrated it should be obvious that the body styles of the trailersmay differ in accordance with shipping requirements.

Third Embodiment

Referring now to FIGS. 12-15, a third embodiment of an intermodaladapter is illustrated in these figures, the intermodal adapter beingindicated generally by reference numeral 400. In addition, a portion ofa highway trailer is indicated in phantom lines in FIG. 12 for thepurpose of showing how the intermodal adapter is connected to such ahighway trailer. The highway trailer is in turn indicated generally byreference numeral 402. The adapter has various components supported by aprincipal welded frame indicated generally at 404. While not illustratedin FIGS. 12-15, the intermodal adapter is adapted to be supported upon arailtruck of the type shown in the previous figures, for example FIG. 9.To this end, the adapter is provided with a centerplate 406 andcenterpin 408 which are adapted to be received by the centerplate bowlof a bolster in the same manner as indicated in FIG. 9. In addition, thebolster is provided with constant contact side bearings which areadapted to contact transversely spaced apart portions 410, 412.

The welded frame assembly 404 is generally rectangular in cross section,the centerplate 406 being secured to a lower central portion 414disposed between the transversely spaced apart portions 410, 412.Support means capable of supporting a highway trailer is incorporatedinto the frame, the support means being an upwardly facing load carryingsurface 416. Disposed to the rear side of the load carrying surface area pair of transversely spaced apart stops 418, 420. Extending to therear of the principal portion of the welded frame and between the stops418 and 420 is a ramp 422, the upper surface of which is inclined in aforward upward direction.

The load carrying surface 416 is provided with a central aperturethrough which a coupler pin 424 may extend. The lower end portion of thecoupler pin is welded or otherwise rigidly secured to a base plate 426.The base plate is generally circular and is received within a verticallyextending tubular member 428 which is received within the welded frame404. In order to keep the base plate 426 from rotating within thetubular member 428, a vertically extending slot 430 is provided withinone wall of the tubular member, and a key 432 is fixed to the base plateand passes through the slot.

The coupler pin 424 is provided with a central longitudinal bore 434 anda threaded insert 436 is fixed to the lower end of the coupler pin incoaxial alignment with the bore 434. A coupler pin drive shaft or jackshaft 438 is provided with acme threads at one end 440, the acme threadsin turn being received within the threaded insert 436. The other end ofthe shaft 438 has a drive gear 442 keyed thereon, the drive gear in turnhaving a machined surface which is journaled within a bushing 444 (FIG.14), which is force fit into a gear support plate 446. the gear supportplate is in turn secured to the top of the centerplate 406 by fasteners448. At this point, it can be seen that if the gear 442 is caused to berotated, the coupler pin will be moved upwardly and downwardly. To thisend, a pinion gear 450 (FIG. 13) is mounted on the output shaft 452 of agear box assembly indicated generally at 454, the gear box assembly inturn, as shown in FIG. 12, including drive and driven gears 456, 458,respectively, the driven gear 458 also being secured to the output shaft452 in driving relationship. The input shaft 460 of the gear box is inturn coupled through coupling 462 to a coupler pin operating shaft 464which is suitably journaled in journal 465 of the welded frame 404. Oneend of the shaft 464 projects outwardly of the frame 404 and is providedwith a suitable surface, such as a hex surface 466, for driving theshaft. The hex surface is normally covered by a drive shaft lockingcollar 468 in sliding relationship to journal 465 which can be shiftedto the left as viewed in FIG. 13 when the shaft 464 is to be rotated tomove the coupler pin up or down. It should be noted, at this point, thatthe shaft 438 and its various gears and drives can be considered to be ascrew jack.

It is desirable to know the location of the coupler pin when theintermodal adapter is secured to two highway trailers, and to this endcoupler pin indicating means are provided. The coupler pin indicatingmeans are best shown in FIG. 15 and include a push rod 470 which issuitably journaled for sliding movement within the frame 404, one end ofthe push rod being contacted by an indicating operating cam 472, as canbest be seen in FIG. 12, which is secured to the key 432 and extends toone side thereof. The other end of the push rod is received within anindicator rod support 474. The indicator rod support is in turnsupported for transverse shifting movement by, in addition to the pushrod 470, shoulder bolt 476 and indicator guide rod 478. A collar 480 isfixed to the indicator guide rod 478 and a compression spring 482 isdisposed between the collar and a bushing 484 which receives the end ofthe indicator guide rod 478, the compression spring normally biasing thenose end of the push rod into engagement with the cam 472, or, in theevent that the cam is spaced away from the push rod 470, to a left handposition as indicated on FIG. 15 by dotted lines. A first indicator orup rod 486 is suitably secured to the lower end of the indicator rodsupport 474 and passes through the upper guide bushing 487 of a guidebody assembly 488, the right hand portion of the up indicator rod beingadapted to project outwardly of the upper guide bushing 487 when thecoupler pin 424 is in its raised position, this being indicated by theposition of cam 472 in FIG. 15.

It is also desirable to known when the coupler pin is in its fullylowered position and to this end the coupler indicator means alsoincludes a second or down indicator rod 490 which passes throughsuitable apertures and bushings in the frame 404, the right hand portionbeing secured to a connector or shoulder piece 492. A down indicator rodextension 494 passes through the lower guide bushing 489 of theindicator guide body assembly 488. Another compression spring 496 isdisposed between the shoulder piece 492 and one end of the bushing 489and normally biases the down indicator rod 490 to its left hand positionas shown in FIG. 15. When the coupler pin 424 is in its fully loweredposition, the cam 472 will contact the left hand end of the downindicator rod 490 and bias it to the right hand position where it willextend beyond the guide bushing 489 to indicate that the coupler pin isin its lowered position.

The welded frame 404 of the intermodal adapter includes, as best seen inFIG. 12, forward locating means indicated generally at 500. The forwardlocating means are essentially of the same configuration as that shownin FIGS. 7-10 and thus include two transversely spaced apart locatingmembers 502, 504, each of which has two converging sidewalls 506 and aforwardly and downwardly extending upper surface 508 (FIG. 14). Thesidewalls and upper surface locate the second receiving means, shown inphantom lines in FIG. 12, of a highway trailer as the highway trailer isbacked into its assembled position relative to the adapter.

A somewhat different form of securing means is provided in thisembodiment for securing the adapter 400 to the highway trailer and tomaintain the locating members 502 and 504 within the second receivingportion of the trailer in their assembled position. To this end, thesecuring means includes a latch assembly on the adapter, the latchassembly being indicated generally at 510. The latch assembly includes apivoted latch 512 supported by a vertically extending pivot pin 514. Thelatch is normally spring biased to the position shown in full lines inFIG. 12 but can be cammed to the position indicated in broken linesduring either assembly or disassembly. The pivoted latch has a reartransversely extending plate portion 516 which lies in a vertical planeand compression springs 518 extend between the plate portion to one sideof the pivot pin and a spring backing plate 520. Both the plate portion516 and the backing plate 520 are provided with spring mounting pins 522(FIG. 14) to maintain the springs in position. The other end of thepivoted latch 512 is provided with a hook 524 and a cam surface 526. Inorder to secure the highway trailer to the adapter, the trailer isprovided with a vertically extending latch bar 528 in the nose piece 530which extends between the two pockets 532, 534 which receive thelocating members 502 and 504. The nose piece has a vertical aperture 535facing the latch and which can receive the latch. The cam surface 526initially engages the latch bar during assembly and the latch 512 isswung away from its normal spring biased position to the dotted lineposition as the parts come together, and then assumes its normallatching position shown in full lines in FIG. 12 when the parts arefully assembled. At this point in time, the rear surface of thetransversely extending sill (not shown) of the highway trailer willcontact the stops 418, 420. Thus, the latch and stops 418 and 420 willmaintain the highway trailer in its completely assembled position insuch a manner that the highway trailer will not moved relative to theadapter.

In order to provide for disassembly of the highway trailer from theadapter, manually operable latch operating means are provided. Theseoperating means include a cam 538 which is adapted to bear against asurface of the plate portion 516 of the latch. In this connection, boththe cam and the springs bear against the forward surface of the plateportion 516 but to opposite sides of the latch pivot pin 514. As can beseen from FIG. 14, if the cam 538, which is shown in its normalinoperable position, were to be rotated in a clockwise direction, theplate portion 516 and latch 512 fastened thereto would be rotated in acounterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 12. In order to provide forsuch rotational movement, the cam is keyed to a cam operating shaft 540which is journaled for rotation about its axis within the welded frame404. The latch operating shaft is in turn provided with a handle 542which provides for manual operation.

As it is desirable to know whether the latch is in its normal latchingposition shown in full lines or in its open position shown in dottedlines, latch indicating means are provided. The latch indicating means,which are indicated generally at 544, includes a latch indicator rod 546which is carried by suitable apertures in the frame 404 for movementalong its axis, a connector or shoulder piece 548 secured to one end ofthe rod 546, and a pointer rod 550 which extends to the right hand side(as viewed in FIG. 12) of the adapter. The end of the latch indicatorrod 546 remote from the connector 548 bears against a cam 552 carried bythe plate portion 516 of the latch. As can be seen from an inspection ofFIG. 12, when the latch is in its latching position, the indicator rodwill be biased to the right hand side against the pressure of a spring554 disposed between the shoulder piece 548 and a portion of the adapterframe 404. However, should the latch be in its nonlatching position,shown in broken lines in FIG. 12, the pointer piece will shift to theleft.

In this third embodiment, the intermodal adapter can be more readilyassembled to the highway trailers than in the second embodiment. Inaddition, indicating means are also provided to indicate the position ofthe coupler pin as well as the latch. Finally, it should also be notedthat in this design, as in the first and second embodiments, the weightof the highway trailers is supported concentrically above thecenterplate 406 giving greater stability to the assembled unit.

The train of highway trailers will be made up in the same manner as thatpreviously described.

While three different forms of apparatus have been disclosed, it shouldbe noted that other forms of apparatus may be employed. Therefore, whilepreferred structures in which the principles of the present inventionhave been incorporated have been shown and described above, it is to beunderstood that this invention is not to be limited to the particulardetails shown and described above, but that, in fact, widely differingmeans may be employed in the practice of the broader aspects of thisinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An improved train of highway trailers including leading and trailing trailers which are interconnected to each other and supported by railtrucks, each of said highway trailers including a main frame and one or more highway wheel assemblies, and each of said railtrucks being provided with a pair of side frames and a bolster supported on said side frames for limited rocking movement; said improvement comprising:a forwardly extending tongue for each highway trailing trailer, said tongue having a forward vertically apertured portion and a rear portion secured to the main frame of the associated trailing highway trailer in load carrying relationship; first receiving means interconnected to a rear portion of the main frame of each leading highway trailer, the first receiving means including a pair of spaced apart generally vertically aligned apertures; an intermodal adapter supported on the bolster of each rail truck, the adapter in turn supporting the rear of an associated leading trailer and the front of an associated trailing trailer; securing means securing the adapter to the rear portion of the associated leading trailer; and a coupler pin passing through the vertically aligned apertures of the first receiving means and the apertured portion of said tongue to maintain the forward portion of the tongue within the first receiving means, said tongue being supported by a portion of said first receiving means.
 2. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 further characterized by the provision of wheel support means interconnecting said highway wheel assemblies to said main frame, said wheel support means being capable of moving the highway wheel assemblies between a lowered highway engaging position and a raised position.
 3. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 further characterized by the provision of constant contact bearings disposed on laterally spaced apart portions of said bolster and contacting laterally spaced apart portions of said intermodal adapter to stabilize said intermodal adapter.
 4. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bolster is provided with a centrally located centerplate bowl, and said intermodal adapter is provided with a centerplate received within said centerplate bowl for rotation about a vertical axis.
 5. The improvement as set forth in claim 4 wherein each leading highway trailer is further provided with second receiving means, and wherein each intermodal adapter includes forward locating means which is received within the second receiving means.
 6. The improvement as set forth in claim 5 wherein the second receiving means is disposed below the first receiving means.
 7. The improvement as set forth in claim 4 wherein said intermodal adapter is provided with an upwardly facing load carrying surface which supports the rear of said associated leading highway trailer.
 8. The improvement as set forth in claim 7 wherein each of said leading highway trailers is provided with a transversely extending sill, a central portion of which is apertured and forms the bottom surface of said first receiving means, said sill being disposed upon said load carrying surface of the intermodal adapter.
 9. The improvement as set forth in claim 8 wherein said aperture in said sill is above said centerplate bowl and coaxial with said vertical axis.
 10. The improvement as set forth in claim 8 wherein said intermodal adapter is provided with a pair of vertically extending stops which are contacted by said transversely extending sill.
 11. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein said coupler pin is carried by said leading highway trailer, said leading trailer further including pin shifting means in the form of linkage.
 12. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first receiving means is provided with a lower elastomeric pad upon which the forward vertically apertured portion of the tongue may rest, said pad having a vertically extending aperture coaxial with said pair of spaced apart generally vertically aligned apertures.
 13. An improved train of highway trailers including leading and following trailers which are interconnected to each other and supported by railtrucks, each of said highway trailers including a main frame and one or more highway wheel assemblies, each of said railtrucks being provided with a pair of side frames and a bolster supported on the side frames for limited rocking movement; said improvement comprising:first receiving means interconnected to a rear portion of the main frame of each leading highway trailer, the first receiving means including a pair of spaced apart generally vertically aligned apertures; a forwardly extending tongue for each following trailer, said tongue having a forward vertically apertured portion and a rear portion secured to the main frame of the associated following trailer in load carrying relationship, said tongue being supported by a portion of said first receiving means; an intermodal adapter supported on the bolster of each rail truck, the adapter in turn supporting the rear of an associated leading trailer and the front of an associated following trailer; securing means securing the adapter to the rear portion of the associated leading trailer; and a coupler pin carried by said intermodal adapter and capable of passing through the vertically aligned apertures of the first receiving means and the apertured portion of said tongue to maintain the forward portion of the tongue within the first receiving means, said adapter further including pin shifting means capable of moving the coupler pin from a raised position where it passes through the vertically aligned apertures of the first receiving means and the aperture portion of said tongue to a lowered position to disconnect the leading and following trailers.
 14. The improvement as set forth in claim 13 wherein said pin shifting means is in the form of a screw jack.
 15. The improvement as set forth in claim 13 further characterized by the provision of coupler pin indicating means carried by said intermodal adapter, said coupler pin indicating means being capable of indicating whether the coupler pin is in its raised or its lowered position.
 16. An improved highway trailer being capable of being formed into a train of highway trailers which are interconnected to each other and supported by railtruck assemblies; said improved trailer comprisinga main frame; a forwardly extending tongue having a forward vertically apertured portion and a rear portion secured to the main frame of the trailer in load carrying relationship; one or more highway wheel assemblies; wheel support means interconnecting said highway wheel assemblies to said main frame, said wheel support means being capable of moving the highway wheel assemblies between a lowered highway engaging position and a raised position; and first and second receiving means interconnected to a rear portion of the main frame, the first receiving means being capable of receiving the forwardly extending tongue of another highway trailer, said first receiving means being provided with a pair of spaced apart generally vertically aligned apertures which may be placed in alignment with the vertical aperture of the forward portion of said forwardly extending tongue of another trailer, and said second receiving means being capable of receiving a locating portion of a railtruck assembly.
 17. The improved highway trailer as set forth in claim 16 wherein the second receiving means is disposed below the first receiving means.
 18. The improved highway trailer as set forth in claim 16 wherein said highway trailer is provided with a transversely extending sill capable of supporting said trailer and its load, a central portion of said sill being apertured and forming the bottom surface of said first receiving means.
 19. The improved highway trailer as set forth in claim 16 wherein said first receiving means is provided with a lower elastomeric pad upon which the forward vertically apertured portion of the tongue of another highway trailer may rest, said pad having a vertically extending aperture coaxial with said pair of spaced apart generally vertically aligned apertures.
 20. The improved highway trailer as set forth in claim 16 wherein said second receiving means includes a pair of transversely spaced apart sockets.
 21. The improved highway trailer as set forth in claim 20 wherein each of said sockets has parallel sidewalls.
 22. The improved highway trailer as set forth in claim 20 wherein each of said sockets has converging sidewalls which are more closely spaced together at a forward portion of the pocket than at a rear portion.
 23. An improved highway trailer being capable of being formed into a train of highway trailers which are interconnected to each other and supported by railtruck assemblies, each of which has a locating portion and a latch; said improved trailer comprisinga main frame; a forwardly extending tongue having a forward vertically apertured portion and a rear portion secured to the main frame of the trailer in load carrying relationship; one or more highway wheel assemblies; wheel support means interconnecting said highway wheel assemblies to said main frame, said wheel support means being capable of moving the highway wheel assemblies between a lowered highway engaging position and a raised position; and first and second receiving means interconnected to a rear portion of the main frame, the first receiving means being capable of receiving the forwardly extending tongue of another highway trailer, said first receiving means being provided with a pair of spaced apart generally vertically aligned apertures which may be placed in alignment with the vertical aperture of the forward portion of said forwardly extending tongue of another trailer, and said second receiving means being capable of receiving a locating portion of a railtruck assembly, said second receiving means including a pair of transversely spaced apart sockets, and latch receiving means disposed between said sockets and capable of being engaged by a latch carried by a railtruck assembly to be coupled to said second receiving means.
 24. The improved highway trailer as set forth in claim 23 wherein the latch receiving means is a longitudinally extending aperture capable of receiving a pivoted latch.
 25. The improved highway trailer as set forth in claim 23 wherein the latch receiving means is a transversely extending aperture.
 26. A railway train comprising trailer vehicles each having at its front end a fifth wheel coupling means adapted to couple with a fifth wheel coupling means of a highway tractor and at its back end rear wheels to support the back end of said vehicle while moving along a highway, a railway truck having railway wheels and a bolster with a load carrying vertical thrust bearing, an adapter frame rotatably supported by said bearing and having laterally spaced horizontal load carrying forks received in load carrying relation to the back end of one of said road trailers, a load carrying tongue on the front end of another trailer received in a socket member on the back end of said one trailer, said socket member being between said forks and in load carrying relation to said tongue, and a pin coaxial with said bearing and carried by said socket member and extending through said tongue to establish a push and pull draft connection between the tongue and said socket member, said bearing and pin being on a vertical axis between said forks.
 27. An improved train of highway trailers including leading and following trailers which are interconnected to each other and supported by railtrucks, each of said highway trailers including a main frame and one or more highway wheel assemblies, and each of said railtrucks being provided with a pair of side frames and a bolster supported on said side frames for limiting rocking movement, said bolster being provided with a centrally located centerplate bowl; said improvement comprisinga forwardly extending tongue for each following highway trailer, said tongue having a forward vertically apertured portion and a rear portion secured to the main frame of the associated following highway trailer in load carrying relationship; first receiving means interconnected to a rear portion of the main frame of each leading highway trailer, the first receiving means including a pair of spaced apart generally vertically aligned apertures; an intermodal adapter supported on the centerplate bowl of the bolster of each railtruck for relative rotation about a generally vertically extending axis, the adapter in turn supporting the rear of an associated leading trailer and the front of an associated following trailer; securing means securing the adapter to the rear portion of the associated leading trailer; and a coupler pin coaxial with said generally vertically extending axis and passing through the vertically aligned apertures of the first receiving means and the apertured portion of said tongue to secure the forward portion of the tongue within the first receiving means for swinging movement about said vertical axis, said tongue being supported by a portion of said first receiving means.
 28. A method of forming a train of highway trailers comprising the following steps:(a) providing a plurality of highway trailers, each highway trailer having a main frame, a forwardly extending apertured tongue secured to the main frame of the trailer in load carrying relationship, one or more highway wheel assemblies, support means interconnecting the highway wheel assemblies to the main frame for relative vertical shifting movement, and first and second receiving means connected to a rear portion of the main frame and capable of receiving, respectively, a forwardly extending tongue of another highway trailer and a locating portion of a railtruck assembly; (b) providing a plurality of railtruck assemblies each including a pair of side frames, a bolster supported on the side frames and having a centrally located centerplate bowl, and an intermodal adapter supported on the centerplate bowl for rotation about a generally vertically extending axis said intermodal adapter including forward locating means, latching means, support means, and vertically a shiftable coupler pin; (c) driving a first highway trailer onto a track; (d) positioning a first railtruck on said track behind said first trailer; (e) backing the trailer towards the first railtruck until the forward locating means is fully received within the second receiving means on the trailer and until the latch engages the trailer; (f) causing said highway wheel assemblies to be moved from their lowered position to their raised position; (g) positioning a second highway trailer onto the track behind said first railtruck; (h) moving the first highway trailer and first railtruck towards said second trailer until the forward portion of the tongue of the second trailer enters into the first receiving means; (i) moving the coupler pin on the first truck from a lowered position to a raised position to cause the second trailer to become engaged with the first trailer and the first railtruck; and (j) repeating steps (d) through (i) until the train of highway trailers is fully made up.
 29. An improved train of highway trailers including leading and following trailers which are interconnected to each other and supported by railtrucks, each of said highway trailers including a main frame and one or more highway wheel assemblies, each of said railtrucks being provided with a pair of side frames and a bolster supported on said side frames for limiting rocking movement; said improvement comprising:first receiving means interconnected to a rear portion of the main frame of each leading trailer, the first receiving means including a pair of spaced apart generally vertically aligned apertures; second receiving means interconnected to a rear portion of the main frame of each leading trailer, said second receiving means including a latch receiving portion; a forwardly extending tongue for each following trailer; said tongue having a forward vertically apertured portion and a rear portion secured to the main frame of the associated following trailer in load carrying relationship, said tongue being supported by a portion of the first receiving means; an intermodal adapter supported on the bolster of each rail truck, the adapter in turn supporting the rear of an associated leading trailer and the front of an associated following trailer, the intermodal adapter including forward locating means which is received within the second receiving means; securing means interconnected to said intermodal adapter for securing the adapter to the rear portion of the associated leading trailer, said securing means including a latch which engages the latch receiving portion of said second receiving means to maintain the forward locating means within the second receiving means; and a coupler pin passing through the vertically aligned apertures of the first receiving means and the apertured portion of said tongue to maintain the forward portion of the tongue within the first receiving means.
 30. The improvement as set forth in claim 29 wherein the forward locating means includes two transversely spaced apart locating members, and said second receiving means includes a pair of transversely spaced apart sockets which receives said locating members, the latch receiving portion being disposed between said sockets.
 31. The improvement as set forth in claim 29 further characterized by the provision of a pivot on said intermodal adapter which interconnects the latch to said intermodal adapter.
 32. The improvement as set forth in claim 31 wherein latch indicating means are provided to indicate whether the latch is in its latching position or whether it is unlatched.
 33. An improved train of highway trailers including leading and following trailers which are interconnected to each other and supported solely by railtruck assemblies located at adjacent ends of said trailers, each of said highway trailers including a body and at least one highway wheel assembly supported above a rail track, and each of the railtruck assemblies including an intermodal adapter and a conventional railtruck having longitudinally extending side frames and a transversely extending bolster supported on said side frames for limited rocking movement, said bolster supporting said intermodal adapter; said improved train being characterized bysaid intermodal adapter being provided with a load bearing locating means and a vertically shiftable coupler pin; the forward end portion of each following trailer including forwardly extending tongue means capable of supporting the forward end portion of the following trailer, said tongue means having a forward apertured portion which receives said coupler pin; and the rear end portion of each leading trailer including first receiving means which receives and is removably coupled to the forward end of said forwardly extending tongue means in load bearing relationship, said first receiving means having an aperture which receives said coupler pin, and second receiving means disposed below said first receiving means and which receives and is removably coupled to said locating means in load bearing relationship whereby the weight of the forward end portion of the following trailer and the rear end portion of the leading trailer are supported on the load bearing locating means of said intermodal adapter.
 34. The improved train of highway trailers as set forth in claim 33 wherein said first receiving means includes a second aperture which receives said coupler pin, said second aperture being spaced away from said first mentioned aperture and in vertical alignment therewith, said forward apertured portion of said tongue means passing between said first mentioned aperture and said second aperture.
 35. The improved train of highway trailers as set forth in claim 33 wherein said intermodal adapter is further provided with coupler pin shifting means.
 36. The improved train of highway trailers as set forth in claim 33 further characterized by said bolster being provided with a centrally located centerplate bowl, the intermodal adapter being supported on said centerplate bowl for rotation about a generally vertically extending axis, and wherein the coupler pin is coaxial with said generally vertically extending axis.
 37. A railway train comprising end to end trailer vehicles each having its highway engaging wheels supported above a railway track, a railway truck having railway wheels on the track and a bolster with a load carrying thrust bearing for supporting the rear end of one of said trailers, and for supporting a tongue attached to the forward end of another of said trailers, by said thrust bearing, for rotation about a vertical axis through the thrust bearing;a socket in said one end of said one trailer for receiving the tongue of another of said trailers and having clearance permitting limited pivoting of the tongue about a vertical axis; a vertical bearing in the end of the tongue; and a pin slidable in said socket on a vertical axis through said vertical bearing to establish a pivot connection between said tongue and said one trailer. 